How to Manage Multiple Blogs

Sometimes I’m a bit of a classic overachiever. I’ll admit it. But it’s certainly not my angle when it comes to blogging.

However, looking at a lot of the writing I do, I get asked by people frequently, “How do you keep up with all of it?”

Let’s look at a typical week for me…

I try to write at least four posts per week on my personal blog, all.things.fadra. To be fair, every Sunday, I host a meme for a 5 minute stream of consciousness writing post. The 5 minutes of writing are the easiest 5 minutes I spend all week but it’s still work.

In addition to my personal blog, I write here two times per week, generally Tuesday and Thursday.

I’ve also recently started as a weekly contributor at ShePosts.

And finally, I’ve been known to take a stab at other contributor sites or guest posts here and there.

Sounds like a lot, right?

It is. Especially since some of the posts require research or interviews or photos and content for sponsored posts.

Now imagine trying to respond to comments and emails and then visiting other blogs (I try to go to 30-40 per week).

I’ve learned a couple of ways to keep myself organized and maybe some of the shortcuts will help you if you already manage multiple blogs or have thought about it.

1. Prepare to sleep less.

While I don’t recommend this strategy, it’s one that I often employ to get everything done. Usually after my son goes to bed, I spend a good two hours catching up. The downside? I’d like to use more of that time to spend with my husband. I’m working on that.

2. Get help.

I don’t mean that kind of help although I feel like I need that sometimes. My husband tries to be flexible with his work schedule when I need him to be. I also send my son to morning preschool three days a week. And on another day, he goes to a sitter for the full day. That’s my work time and it’s worth the investment.

3. Create a work environment.

This might be more of a case of “do as I say, not as I do,” but I find that when I sit in a designated work area I’m more productive. Sometimes, it’s the public library while my son is at school. Sometimes it’s at the local Starbucks. Or sometimes, I actually sit at my IKEA desk in my IKEA chair and pretend like I have a real office. It helps.

4. Take shortcuts.

For my 5 minute Sunday meme, it can take a lot more than 5 minutes. I have to have a badge, a linky, embed code, rules, etc. My 5 minutes of writing could easily turn into 30 minutes worth of set up.

Instead, I take the HTML for my standard Sunday post and save it in TextEdit (or Notepad). All formatting is removed and I add in notes like start writing here or add new linky script. I cut and paste the HTML, write my content, and publish away. I take shortcuts and I’m always looking for more.

5. Use a calendar.

Everyone is different but pick some method of planning to help you out. I typically use a spreadsheet and the iMac calendar to keep a rough plan of posts coming up. It helps me keep up with deadlines and lightens my load when I’ve already thought about what I want to write.

Some people prefer a formal editorial calendar while others use pen and paper (imagine that!). Just pick a method and do some sort of planning.

All in all, in order to keep up with multiple blogs and not be driven entirely insane, you have to treat it like a job, even if no one is paying you.

Tagged as: blogging shortcuts, keeping up with blogs, managing multiple blogs